Schicksal
by lady tecuma
Summary: Oneshot, preXenosaga. Wilhelm's manipulated the strings of Shion's life from her childhood, but what if the chains of fate were bound even earlier?


**Schicksal**

_As children, we are told that everybody is special. We are encouraged to be individual, not to conform to peer pressure. We are also taught that once a person dies, the thing that gave them their uniqueness…once that person is gone, it's never coming back. Not even a clone can recapture that spark of life, that distinctive bio-signal, no matter how hard modern science tries. And then sometimes, a rare individual is born, one who is able to bear burdens that are beyond the normal human capacity to bear, it is on this person's shoulders that fate comes down the hardest. Humanity is blessed, if only for a short while, by the presence of such an innocent spirit…and like everybody else, unable to return once Death has offered his scythe to them. _

_Such a soul was needed for his plans. And he had found it…sensed it actually. The Compass had allowed him to look into the future, and so he knew what he was after. So he prepared accordingly…as much as he could, after all, this was the past. Once he had done this, he settled down to await its birth on the mortal plane, into his hands…

* * *

_

**T.C. 4745**

The cry of an infant had him lifting his head. Turning slightly, he noticed that the Compass of Order was turning rapidly. Closing his eyes, he lifted a hand to press against one of its rings. As he did so, a brief mental image of a brown-haired woman flashed into his mind, disappearing as quickly as it came.

"You're here." Wilhelm murmured, opening his eyes. In the space of a breath he faded away, appearing under the protection of an invisibility Ether inside a medical lab. The infant's cries were louder now; the Vector CEO allowed himself a quick scan of the room. From all appearances, this was a birthing lab…for infants that weren't created in test-tubes, but instead grown inside 'artificial wombs'. As he watched, a harried-looking blond nurse came in, face twisted in anger.

"Shut up!" She yelled at the infant. "Damn it, only bit of sleep I've had in 72 hours and you have to disturb it!" The baby only sobbed harder, Wilhelm could sense confusion and loneliness coming in waves from her. All she wanted was to be held, to hear a heartbeat, she didn't like this cold new place… The nurse cursed, grabbing her coat and storming out of the lab, pulling a pack of cigarettes from one of the pockets as she left. Wilhelm allowed himself to reappear, glancing at the door with distain before moving over to the crying newborn. Moving quickly, he picked up a blanket that was also in the crib, wrapping the soft wool around the little girl before cradling her in his arms. At the unfamiliar touch the infant jerked, tear-filled green eyes meeting Wilhelm's own claret ones. Her little lips trembling, she blinked, resulting in more tears falling.

"Ssshh…" Wilhelm crooned. His little burden quieted. "You've had the quite the hard day, haven't you?" A quick glance into her mind confirmed this. She had been asleep inside her 'womb' when a pair of hands had reached in and pulled her away from her warm home, she was cold, when she had opened her eyes there had been nobody familiar, all everybody did around her was yell… The baby yawned, cuddling into Wilhelm's chest. A gentle smile crossed the white-haired man's face.

"It will require careful planning to make sure you live." He said softly. "Left alone, you would not survive very long in this world." The baby didn't say anything, but looked up at him sleepily, the sound of the older man's heartbeat lulling her into a sense of security. A yawn escaping her lips, she snuggled trustingly into Wilhelm's embrace; the very picture of angelic innocence, all that would be needed to complete it was a pair of little wings and a gold halo above her little head of brown hair. The Vector CEO found he couldn't resist, he bent over and pressed a kiss to the infant's forehead.

"When you're older, you'll be wrecking havoc amongst men with your naivety. But in all your purity, you won't even know…" He gently laid the baby back in her crib, making sure that the blanket was still tucked securely around her. "I've made you a friend. But you're too young to meet him, and he's not ready to see you either." He gently patted the small head of brown hair. "He'll help you…when it is time for you to perform on this stage."

"Who are you?" Straightening, Wilhelm turned around to see a gray-haired man standing in the doorway.

"Are you her father?" The man nodded. "She was crying, the nurse wasn't paying any attention, and I thought I would try to soothe her." The second man sighed.

"Oh." He moved to the opposite side of the crib, putting both hands on the railing. "T…thank you." His own green eyes, a darker shade than his daughter's own, looked down at her small form.

"Will you be taking her home today?" Wilhelm inquired. The man nodded.

"Her…her mother suffers from hypersensitivity to the synchronicity of the U.M.N. It's driven her insane…and when she's not awake, she's almost comatose." He bit his lower lip. "I hoped that if we had another child, it would restore her to some semblance of sanity. So I had her DNA combined with mine to create our daughter, she always wanted a little girl." The Vector CEO could sense the sorrow and despair coming from the other man; he genuinely loved his wife, and was willing to do anything to heal her…even create a child for the wrong reasons.

_So it is into this she is born._ Even without having to use the Compass, Wilhelm could see how it was going to end. The child wouldn't be able to provide the miracle that her father was praying so desperately for, and now that he was aware of the mental stability of the mother… _Would it be wise to remove her from this household? She will have no mother figure, even less of a father figure, though he will try his best…_ He watched as the other man reached into the crib, tracing his fingers over the child's features.

"I…I even don't have a name for her." He closed his eyes. "Things got so busy. First my job, then her mother had to go to the hospital again, her older brother got sick…" He opened his eyes, a bitter smile on his lips. "Some father I'm turning out to be, huh?"

"We all make mistakes." Wilhelm answered. "And besides, some parents wait until after their children are born to give them a name." He paused. "If you want, I can help…"

"Would you?"

"…I always thought the name Sion was nice, but it's a boy's name." The white-haired man answered, allowing a frown to cross his face. "But I found if you added an 'h' to it, you have Shion."

"Shion." The other man repeated. "Shion." A bright smile came over his face. "Shion…Uzuki. It's perfect!"

_In more ways than one_. Wilhelm thought, secretly pleased. Names gave their owners power, even gave them the attributes of what they meant. A little assurance on his part, to make sure that Shion would be given her proper role. _How appropriate._

"I'll take my leave now. Congratulations on your daughter." Uzuki lifted his head.

"Thank you so much for helping me name her. And comforting her when I wasn't there." He replied, bowing. Wilhelm nodded slightly and walked out of the room…and into his office on the _Dammerung._

"Shion." He murmured softly to himself. "I fear I may be the cause of great pain for you in the future…but I'm sure you'll pull through."

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Schicksal: German for 'fate' 


End file.
